Written by Tainara Lisboa | Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
For the first time in nearly three years, Tainara Lisboa finally enters a UFC cage this weekend.
Lisboa faces the younger Luana Santos in the preliminary portion of UFC Vegas 106 for her first match since suffering a serious left knee injury in late 2023. She beat late-notice replacement Ravena Oliveira at the UFC APEX despite the injury, and went straight to surgery for a knee cartilage reconstruction.
“It was very difficult,” Lisboa told MMA Fighting. “I could list the many difficulties I’ve faced, but the idea of not being able to do what I’ve done my entire life was the hardest part. This injury left me close to retiring. It was a test surgery. The doctor made it pretty clear that it could be successful or not.
“Imagine going that whole process after finally arriving in the UFC and putting on two good performances. You’re living the dream, and all of a sudden you have no idea if you’re going to come back. And if I do go back, am I the same Tainara? Can I become the best Tainara I can be? That was very complicated.”
Lisboa, 34, underwent surgery on the first day of December 2023, six weeks after improving to 2-0 in the UFC with wins over Oliveira and Jessica-Rose Clark. The recovery process caused a leg thigh muscle atrophy of 2.3 inches. The bantamweight veteran jumped up to 168 pounds before going back to the mats and needed a full year to finally be able to inform the UFC she was ready to start a camp.
Tainara Lisboa had surgery in December 2023
“I couldn’t walk up stairs, for example,” Lisboa said. “I learned how to walk again. There were moments I felt that was the end of the line for me, but I had a great team around me. Every time I was down, they picked me back up again. I started the toughest camp of my life on Dec. 2, 2023 not knowing the end result.”
Lisboa wasn’t able to train in the gym, and that’s when a call from the promotion to work as a color-commentator came to the rescue. Lisboa was invited to commentate LFA and UFC shows on the Brazilian version of UFC Fight Pass, and that helped her get through difficult times and “feel part of the UFC”.
“To live that other side and learn, and still feel alive in fights, that was an incredible experience,” Lisboa said. “I plan on studying more and more to continue doing that. I think I’m kind of good at it. I breath fighting since I was 13, so to watch and talk about fights is something I do well.”
Tainara Lisboa works for UFC Fight Pass
It also helped Lisboa improve as a fighter, she said, “because you study other athletes that weren’t on your radar, like men and other weight classes you don’t watch that much, and you start to see things and other techniques. I’m constantly learning.”
Lisboa enters Saturday riding a five-fight winning streak that dates back to 2021. On the other side, Santos returns to 135 pounds after a flyweight loss to Casey O’Neill, her first defeat in the octagon.
“I think it’s going to be a very interesting fight,” Lisboa said. “Luana is very young and had great numbers. We have similar numbers and we both like to finish fights before the final round. Even though the age gap is gigantic, we both bring similar intention to the cage.”
Lisboa believes that being nine years older than her opponent gives her the edge experience-wise. And not just that.
“Few things scare you after you go through hell,” Lisboa said. “Being back already is an enormous victory alone. This fight is not about who’s on the other side. It’s about myself, it’s about everything I went through and being able to return to the world’s biggest organization. Being able to return to work and show I’m fine, that my knee is alright. People have that doubt. And I’m sure I’ll face the best Luana there’s ever been because she’s also worked hard for that, she has her dreams. I’ve prepared for her best version.”